Category: Uncategorized

Dads get a bad rap. We want our teenage sons to be tough to face a carnvivorous world. We want them to do better than we did. Sometimes dads are the more rugged and “rough” parents. In this case we have a teenage boy sent to spend time with his outdoorman father, both get more than they bargained for.

Walking Out (2017)
PG-13 | 1h 35min | Adventure, Drama, Mystery | 6 October 2017 (USA)

An urban teenager journeys to Montana to hunt big game with his estranged father. Father and son struggle to connect, until a brutal encounter in the heart of the wilderness changes everything.
Directors: Alex Smith, Andrew J. Smith
Writers: David Quammen (short story), Alex Smith (adaptation) | 1 more credit »
Stars: Matt Bomer, Josh Wiggins, Bill Pullman

This was directed by “The Smith Brothers,” specifically Alex and Andrew Smith. They have about 4 films under their belt, none have been blockbusters. That’s ok with me because I don’t necessarily want to see the blockbusters when there are amazing smaller scale gems to be watched. This is one of those. It’s man against nature once again and we see a lot of the same old conventions connected to that premise. A boy is sent to his father to grow up and he does it the hard way with snowy hiking, a bear, and finally … (no spoliers). I was never bored watching this film and I can’t thik of a way I could have made it better. It is a timeless theme and I recommend it to you dear watcher at a 7/10.

I’ve thought of Iraqi war veterans as many things, all good and full of resepct. Still, I never thought about them being adrenaline junkies. That is Katheryn Bigelow’s main message it would seem in this war thriller. It’s an interesting take, how young men might be trapped in the hurt locker ready for more. It’s neat to look at but let’s not forget sp many things are are screwed up about war. There’s a lot more wrong than wanting to get to the next level of a would-be video game.

The Hurt Locker (2008)
R | 2h 11min | Drama, History, Thriller | 31 July 2009 (USA)

During the Iraq War, a Sergeant recently assigned to an army bomb squad is put at odds with his squad mates due to his maverick way of handling his work.
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Writer: Mark Boal
Stars: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty

Kathryn Bigelow is among my favorite directors. Her credits include: 2017 Detroit, 2012 Zero Dark Thirty, 2008 The Hurt Locker, 1995 Strange Days, & 1991 Point Break. Detroit and Zero Dark Thirty really set her apart for me. She’s a special director and you can trust in “Spring-loaded” film with a lot of suspense and bombs in it that she has calculated everything to make a point and to be enjoyed as a motion picture.

Like so many films, this one shows how messed up war is and how much is can wreck people mentally. We as armchair observers can sit back and contemplate the severity of that. I think it’s important we watch films that shed a like on what modern warfare is about. The ways we connect with other cultures should be the focus not the ways we are different. War wukk always be with us but a better perspective is available to us always, just around the bend. I gave this film an 8/10.

A film written in “child” should not be criticized by adults who do not speak the language. This is not your typical Disney standard of film release. At the same time, when watched with my two daughters, this adult saw a truth in it, a juvenile purity. Evil fights to dominate Good. Who wins? Um, most of us speak Disney but this one speaks in child first and foremost.

A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
PG | 1h 49min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy | 9 March 2018 (USA)

After the disappearance of her scientist father, three peculiar beings send Meg, her brother, and her friend to space in order to find him.
Director: Ava DuVernay
Writers: Jennifer Lee (screenplay by), Jeff Stockwell (screenplay by) | 1 more credit »
Stars: Storm Reid, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon

The first love of most kids, after mom,  up to the tween ages is their father, whether he was around or not. Storm Reid’s character and her brother lose their father. Right away you have most kids hooked in. Will she find him? Where has he gone? Does he still love the family? Would he want to be found. The director focuses on these particular questions. I would argue it’s to engage the children and tweens in the audience. Chris Pine plays the father and he does a great job of acting. Most the performances are wooden and almost inaccessible but not his, he delivered.

Children often feel trapped in their families. They can’t drive, they can’t choose where to go every day. They are held by their families. Most children dream of being swept away by a mythical savior presence with their well being in mind. That would be Reese Witherspoon’s character. I think they call her a witch but I don’t recall. She is a ditz. She falls into the character she played in “Legally Blonde” more than once. It’s off-putting at best. She was poorly cast in her role. But the kids eat her up. They all want to be taken away from their mother so they can soar through the galaxy in search of dad. Hmmm. Sounds like a bleak plot, but that’s what it is. Summon your inner child and it actually kind of works though.

There is a quote witch and a giant witch. Zach Galafinakis plays a Zen warlock (I assume he’s something like that) who says something really cool (I’m being serious): paraphrased:

“It’s okay to fear the answers but you can never escape them.” – The Happy Medium in A Wrinkle in Time

I took this as it’s better to seek the answers rather than hide in ignorance.

There are amazing backgrounds and colors in this movie. There are also euphoric sound effects and songs. At times it equals the running waters over rocks at the local Massage Envy lobby. Ultimately, there is a battle and there is a victor. I’ll leave the revelation to you. I must say as I close that my daughters loved the filmed and thanked me all the way home for taking them. Maybe those kid brains know something about enjoying films that we don’t? This was a film you must see as a kid and if you can bring a kid to see. As an adult critic, I wouldn’t praise it but for what it is, I give it a 7/10. In an upcoming Talking Stars show I’ll be elaborating more in a conversation so if you’re interested. Please tune in.

I’m glad there is a smart category in Hollywood where it’s ok to make films that are dialogue heavy and historical in scope. Some kid doing a report on Stalin somewhere in the future may call upon this film for muse. I say all that to set the foundation for my review: this film is not a normal film. Once you open your mind to something else, you’ll have a better time enjoying it.

The Death of Stalin (2017)
R | 1h 46min | Comedy | 20 October 2017 (UK)

Follows the Soviet dictator’s last days and depicts the chaos of the regime after his death.
Director: Armando Iannucci
Writers: Armando Iannucci, David Schneider | 5 more credits »
Stars: Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Jeffrey Tambor

Armando Iannucci is our director. Fittingly enough, he directed the hit political series “Veep” with Julia Louis Dreyfuss that is also a very high intellectual show. Steve Buscemi stars in this and does a great job. It’s one of those films where you get a mile a minute of satire and if you’re lucky enough to get it all, you feel lofty, high-brow, intellectual. This film wasn’t really my thing. Probably because I have not studied Stalin to any degree. Some of the humor is funny though and I trust the right audience will adore this movie. I give it a 6/10 for my part though because there was much of it that I didn’t get.

My Rating: 7/10

Storks

Cast

Andy Samberg, Katie Crown, Kelsey Grammer

Directed by

Nicholas Stoller, Doug Sweetland

Written by

Nicholas Stoller

Other Info

Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Rated PG
89min (and no more, thankfully)

For grown-ups:
For kids:
Storks landed in my local theater tonight and I was there with my 2 daughters ages 9 and 11.  By the way, I’m 47. I’m happy to report the 9 and 11 year-olds loved the film. I was only somewhat impressed.

IMDB gives this synopsis: Storks have moved on from delivering babies to packages. But when an order for a baby appears, the best delivery stork must scramble to fix the error by delivering the baby.

If that sounds like  a convoluted story, you don’t know the half of it.

Kids will like it though.

This film has been promoted in theater trailers and internet for what seems like a year at least. I think the makers felt the title would resonate in so many people’s childhood memories that they would mark the premiere date on their calendar as well as their Google alerts. As old as I am, my parents never told me anything about storks bringing babies. If any parents needed an explanation, it was them. I’m the oldest of 4 siblings and I was intelligent and very inquisitive as a kid. Thankfully for me, they shared the truth about how babies are made and how they come into the world at a reasonable age: no need for storks.

My dad on the other hand did get the stork story when he was a kid. I sent him a text after the movie joking that he should see this film. Maybe he’ll get it. I think this film assumed the audience knew this dishonest legend that parents used to tell their kids. It’s ironic how parents in the 1940’s needed storks to explain the mystery of childbirth to children. After this movie, a lot of parents will have to explain the mystery of the storks in the movie through the actual explanation of birth.

But, enough about the weird stork angle, let me tell you 2 things that do work in the film. 1) The babies. The first strong impression I recall of a baby in an animated film is Jack Jack in The Incredibles. He is a firecracker. I loved the way he giggled as he was blurting out superpowers. I think he stands out in all our minds as a movie baby we won’t forget. The babies in this film are amazing in a similar way. Their voices are perfectly timed with deft CGI artistry. This makes them extremely cute and loveable. The best aspect is the laughs. Their laughs make the Pilsbury doughboy sound stand-offish. They invite you to love them. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of merch comes from this film. 2) SOME of the jokes. There is a small bird who is a sort of pseudo-nemesis. He is very funny. Some of the jokes lag too much though. I was surprised this film was so flat in its humor after having been in production for a year or more. Usually they test things like that with focus groups etc. This film feels “off the cuff” a lot. Moreover, so much is predictable because we have seen all this before.

Having said that …

Kids will like it. To them, I recommend it. All else, tell me what you think. I think I could have skipped this one and not have missed much.